Schumer cites security, DHS ban in questioning TSA use of TikTok

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is questioning the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) use of the China-owned app TikTok, noting security concerns in a letter to the agency on Saturday.

Schumer, writing to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, noted that the app is banned by the Department of Homeland Security and that security experts have previously warned about how it handles user data, referencing Chinese laws compelling the company to aid in intelligence collection, The Associated Press reported.

The TSA has used the app to post several videos explaining policies such as what can and can’t be brought on airplanes and detailing the agency’s PreCheck expedited screening program.

“Given the widely reported threats, the already-in-place agency bans, and the existing concerns posed by TikTok, the feds cannot continue to allow the TSA’s use of the platform to fly,” Schumer said in a statement to the AP.

The U.S. Army has also banned soldiers from using TikTok, citing potential security risks and telling Military.com last month that the app is “considered a cyber threat.” In December, the Pentagon said TikTok had "potential security risks associated with its use.”

Photo: © Bonnie Cash